Making fireworks photos with your point-and-shoot camera

CaptionNight time-exposures

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World.

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

This night time-exposure image, showing the wooden ship in the pool area of the Yacht & Beach Club was shot at 15 seconds at f/5, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World.

This night time-exposure image, showing the wooden ship in the pool area of the Yacht & Beach Club was shot at 15 seconds at f/5, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World.

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World.

This night time-exposure image, showing the Reflections of Earth fireworks show, was shot at 3 seconds at f/8, ISO 80, on a Canon s90 Powershot pocket point-n-shoot camera, Friday, June 15, 2012, during a visit to the Epcot theme park at Disney World. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

Photo enthusiasts often assume that it takes a high-end, professional camera with a broad range of manual settings -- and a tripod -- to make those cool, long-exposure images of fireworks and naturally-lit nighttime scenes. But with the quantum leap of technology and affordability in point-n-shoot cameras, most newer models have some sort of slow-shutter speed or fireworks mode that, with a few simple tricks, can accommodate your uber-creative photography needs.

All the photos you see here were shot on a pocket camera, a Canon s90 Powershot -- at night in low light conditions -- using shutter speeds ranging from 2 to 15 seconds. I was careful to stabilize the camera on whatever surfaces were available, without a tripod. The end result is a kind of painting-with-light effect, an altered perspective boasting super-saturated colors, surreal light bursts and unusual blurs.

Here are five tips to help in successfully shooting time-exposures on a pocket camera:

2) Set your ISO to its lowest setting, usually 80 or 100. This may sound like contradictory advice, since ISO determines how sensitive your camera reacts to light; a lower number usually means your are shooting brighter, day-lit scenes. But the lower ISO -- in addition to producing better color and quality -- will force your camera's shutter speed to slow down, which is a good thing for time-exposures.

3) Turn off the flash. Again, that might sound confusing since it's a night scene. But remember, in time-exposures you are using the available, ambient light to illuminate your scene, not the camera's flash.

4) Stabilize your camera. No need to lug around a tripod, just make sure your camera is perfectly still on whatever surface you can find. A wall; the top of a car; the ground; whatever works as long as your camera has zero movement.

5) Set your camera to self-timer. Not to be confused with the shutter speed setting, the self-timer tells the camera to fire on a delay after you push the button. This can be crucial in minimizing blurring caused by vibration or shaking of the camera during a long exposure.

Finally, the most important tip for attempting point-n-shoot, night time-exposures: Have fun!